Homecoming Flames Nation Tailgate
We will be having our 2nd tailgate of the season this weekend! Come on out and join Duke, myself, and several of our readers. We will be in the same area we have always been – right across the street from the Lahaye Ice Center behind the student section of Williams Stadium and beside the football practice field in that large grass area. We will have our big Flames Nation banner with our logo on it so you can easily find us. Be sure to stop by for a free burger, hot dog, Kan Jam, and much more! We will also have our Flames Nation t-shirts which can be purchased at a discount of just $10. We plan on setting up around 2pm and being there until kickoff.
Woodrum predicts 7-4, playoffs
At this week’s press conference, Josh Woodrum said, “we’re going to win every single one of (our remaining games). We’re going to be 7-4. We’re going to go to the playoffs.” It won’t be easy, obviously. The Flames have 4 more games, beginning with Kennesaw State this weekend. Following next week’s bye, Liberty hosts Presbyterian before facing two top 25 opponents in Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina. Even if the Flames win those 4 games, there’s no guarantee they would make the playoffs. They would need a lot of help to win the automatic bid from the Big South, and the Flames have a very questionable resume for an at-large with season-crushing losses to Big South basement dwellers Gardner-Webb and Monmouth.
Flames conclude road trip 1-3
The 4 consecutive road games were of much discussion entering the season, and Liberty finished those 4 games with a mark of 1-3. That’s certainly not as good as most would have projected, especially after splitting the first 2 games between Southern Illinois and Georgia State. The first 7 games was certainly a tall order with those 4 straight road games, 5 out of 7 on the road, 2 FBS opponents and Montana. Now, the Flames conclude with 3 of 4 at home and a bye week.
Other football notes:
- Pay attention to the first quarter. In the 3 games Liberty has won, they’ve scored 35 points in the first quarter. In the 4 games they’ve lost. LU has scored 3 points.
- Turn the calendar to November, already. The Flames have been very good in the month of November under Coach Gill. In his 3 seasons, Liberty is 11-1 in November with 4 wins over ranked teams (#6 Stony Brook, #16 Charleston Southern, #1 Coastal Carolina, #15 James Madison). This season, the Flames have 3 games in the month of November including 2 against teams currently ranked in the top 25 (#1 Coastal Carolina, #20 Charleston Southern).
Football commits update
- Quarterback commit Rud Yearick was named the Charlotte Observer’s top performer last week after posting a state line of 15/25 passing for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns and 5 carries for 150 yards and 1 touchdown in a 41-0 win over Northside Christian.
- Stephen “Buckshot” Calvert returned to action this past week after missing the 2 previous games with a shoulder injury. Calvert will be making his official visit to Liberty this weekend.
- Brandon Tillmon, who is having a terrific senior season, will be making his official visit to Liberty this weekend.
- Ethan Crawford, an offensive line commit, tells us he will be taking an unofficial visit for the Presbyterian game with his official visit likely coming after the season.
- Aidan Burroughs is taking an unofficial visit this weekend.
- Check out Jimmy Faulks’ updated highlight video on hudl.
Flames in the NFL update
Rashad Jennings showcased his abilities on Monday Night Football as the Giants got beat by the Eagles, 27-7. Jennings finished the game with 63 rushing yards on 13 carries and 3 receptions for 20 yards. He also had one lost fumble. Walt Aikens and the Dolphins had a big 38-10 win over the Tennessee Titans. Aikens did not record any stats.
MBB at Notre Dame to be on ESPNU
The Flames’ game at Notre Dame on December 29th will be aired live on ESPNU at 3pm. It will be Liberty’s 3rd meeting all-time with the Irish. The Flames are 0-2 against Notre Dame with both meetings coming in Dale Layer’s tenure at Liberty. The game against the Irish will conclude Liberty’s schedule in the calendar year 2015 and will be their final non-conference game of the regular season. The Flames open the season on November 13th in the Vines Center against Covenant.
Theo Johnson suspended indefinitely
Coach McKay announced this week that senior forward Theo Johnson has been suspended indefinitely. This is a huge blow to the team as Johnson is one of only 2 seniors on the roster and was expected to be a team leader and go to player on the court. He is the team’s leading returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 10 points and 4.6 rebounds per game a season ago. The loss of Johnson puts McKay’s squad at just 9 scholarship players on the roster. Of those 9, 5 have never played a minute in a Liberty uniform, 3 are true freshman, and another (John Dawson) isn’t eligible until the 2nd semester due to NCAA transfer rules.
Flames with two “secret scrimmages”
Jeff Goodman released his annual secret scrimmage list this week which includes 2 scrimmages for Liberty. Coach McKay and the Flames host VMI on October 31st and plays Hampton on November 7th.
JMU gets GameDay
James Madison will play host to ESPN College GameDay this Saturday morning prior to the 3:30 matchup between #5 JMU and #13 Richmond (whose head coach is still Danny Rocco). It’s the 8th time GameDay has originated from a non-FBS site and 3rd straight season after visits to North Dakota State each of the past 2 seasons. James Madison is one of the hottest teams in the country, having won 14 of their past 15 games, with their lone loss coming at the hands of Liberty, 26-21, in the first round of the FCS Playoffs last season.
Other Sports update
Your weekly non-football Fall sports update:
- The men’s soccer team has dropped three straight include two this week to #11 Coastal Carolina and Radford. The Flames are now 5-8 overall and 1-4 in Big South play this season.
- The women’s soccer team improved to 6-2 in conference play with a win over Winthrop this week. The Lady Flames lost to Gardner-Webb last Saturday. Just 2 more regular season matches left beginning Saturday against Coastal Carolina.
- The women’s field hockey team returns to action this afternoon against UMass Lowell in Massachusetts. The Lady Flames are 9-4 on the season and currently ranked #9 in the NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll.
- The women’s volleyball team split their two matches last weekend beating Charleston Southern before falling to Coastal Carolina in a battle for first place in the conference. The Lady Flames are now 5-2 on the season with 6 regular season contests remaining.
FlameFans thread of the week
This week’s FlameFans thread of the week is Josh Woodrum doesn’t like us.
